Well I spent Monday fitting my Quaife 6 speed sequential gearbox (with Plans ATB diff). A bit of a fiddly job as the Quaife gearbox is about an inch longer than the standard box, so ment hanging the engine right down to slip it on.
All I can say is WOW!!! They should fit these boxes as standard to the car. It is awesome and has totally transformed the car. I have always wanted a sequential gearbox after years of watching touring cars etc. LOL
I used to have a dog engagement “H” pattern box in my Escort Cosworth, but it was horrible to live with on the road and very agricultural. The Quaife in my exige is nothing like that. The shift is soooooooooo silky smooth and is easier to live with every day than the standard box in my opinion.
The ratios are very close and the car just blasts through the gears, it really does feel like your in a racing car.
The gears are straight cut, so they do wine, but at full hammer the gearbox is still drowned out by the exhaust. LOL.
I threw in an AP Racing clutch while it was all apart and am impressed by this also. The clapming force is quite a bit highter, but the pedal doesn’t feel any stiffer and the take up isn’t harsh at all.
All in all a top conversion, if a little pricey.
Just my new suspension to go on in a week or so and my little track car / road rocket will be complete!!! Until I can think of something else to buy for it. LOL
Well, with my Escort dog box, I was told the clutch wasn’t needed, and sure enough I learn’t to match the revs and the changes were OK.
I called Quaife and asked them, and the official line is that you should use the clutch for all up and down shifts. The official line on not using the clutch is rapid wear of the dog rings.
However after a bit of chatting the unofficial line was with a good ignition cut system switched from movement of the gearlever you should be OK with clutchless shifts.
As yet I have only probably done 50 miles in the car with the box, so am just getting used to it and I am using the clutch all the time. I have to say though even with using the clutch the shift is super rapid.
I will be looking into an ignition cut switch linked up with the emerald as in my opinion there is more advantage from not having to close the throttle than not using the clutch. However with a bit of luck my clutchless change technique should be mastered by Croft (if I’m not to chicken)
The box is �4,250 + VAT, you have to pay seperatly for the gear indicator LED thingy that is �325 + VAT (if memory serves). You have to supply a donor gearbox of which they only really use the bell housing / diff case (they send everything from the donor box back to you) They charge you �200 + VAT to build the box up to a complete unit. Then they charge �35 + VAT carriage. So all in just over �5K.
The clutch was a three piece kit from Elise Parts and cost about �120 + VAT and dlivery.
I had bought the diff from Plans for about �600 sometime before. I sent this to Quaife with my donor box and they fitted that for free!!! LOL.
Feel free to come and have a go at Croft.
Although I am umming and arring about Anglesea and Rockingham in early April (work dependant), so I may get to meet up with some of you guys before Croft.
Although I am umming and arring about Anglesea and Rockingham in early April (work dependant), so I may get to meet up with some of you guys before Croft.Sean…
Sean - bring it to Rockingham, there’s a few of us there and I would love to see your car and the various mods you have made.
I recently drove a full race Renault Sport Spider with a sequential box. The instructor told me not to use the clutch at all once we had left the pit lane, just to feather the throttle on the up changes, otherwise bang it in.
All I can say is WOW it was awesome, really added to driving experience IMO, nothing like braking hard into a corner, changing down 2 gears with no clutch.
I will do my best to get along to both track days, but I am pretty hectic at the moment, so will have to see.
Andy, I am driving up to Croft in the Exige and staying over the night before, but to be honest haven’t given it much thought yet. Why?
Anthony, I did one of the JP experiance days at Bedford and several of the cars you get to drive there have sequential boxes and you didn’t have to use the clutch there either. I guess as if I bust my own I have to write the cheque to fix it I am playing it a bit same at the moment.
Nicolas, You don’t get a choice of gearbox ratios, but you do get the choice of final drive ratio. I went for the longest one they do, which is still a lot shorter than standard (8,000rpm in 5th with the standard box would equate to 166MPH, where as 8,000rpm in 6th with my box equates to 144MPH)
1st with my box is also very long (8,200rpm equates to 60.12MPH, where as 8,200rpm with the standard box would only see you pull 49.67MPH)
I was a bit woried about pulling away, but the car pulls cleanly and eagerly from low revs in 1st, so should be OK.
Rox, I try my best mate In all honesty though I have always, always wanted a sequential box in a track car.
Sean, as you mentioned and you probably already know this but on the race bikes my old man works on (MSS Kawasaki in the BSB) they have a quickshifter which is a switch on the foot lever that as it shifts up, the switch cuts the ignition to just 2 cylinders which is enough to drop the revs and power to allow the next gear to engage without and hiccup and also means that they can keep the throttle pinned wide open!
But you could also speak to emerald and see if there’s some way for the ECU to be wired in to do something similar…
Yeah that is my plan. I am looking into micro switches and stuff, so if anyone has any pointers for something I can either fit to the base of the lever (althought there aint much room underneath) or to the lever at the gearbox end, please let me know.
Hmmmm I like the idea of only cutting two cylinders.
Not sure if this is any help but in circuit driver they tested it on the new V8 radical with good results, designed for bike gearbox’s but worth giving them a call. They do a paddle shift also, which is what is on the radical http://www.proshift.co.uk/proshift.php